Play On Words: 100 theme challenge
by Perhapsormaybe
Summary: Alien Force. Different drabbles based on 100 different themes. Some will be romantic, some will be sad, some angsty, and some action. Mixed couples - now taking requests for drabbles.
1. Family

**Author's Note: **Because I'm having almost too much fun writing Changing Times, I've decided to do a theme challenge for Ben 10: Alien Force. Some will be romantic, some will not…I took the art challenge by Daimonyon for the themes…it will be 100 different (mainly short) drabbles when I'm finished, and I've every intention *to* finish. I'm contemplating doing a fanart with each drabble, as well as maybe even an amv, but we'll see how much time I have. I will be numbering these in the order they appear on the list.

**Drabble Number 1: Number 46: Family**

Kevin cautiously closed the door behind him, wondering if his mother would even be awake at this hour. Gulping nervously, he studied the plumber's badge once more, as though checking to make sure it hadn't all been a dream.

When he was satisfied, he made his way toward the back of his house. If his mom was asleep, he could tell her later…he frowned, hoping that would not be the case. For once, his mom would really be proud of him. He was sure of it.

He wasn't disappointed. She was sitting up in her bed, staring blankly in front of her, the lamp on her nightstand still on.

"Mom?" Kevin said it very softly, but it was enough. She heard him.

"Oh," she seemed to snap back into reality quickly, a soft smile on her face. "Kevin…you were out really late again. Are you all right?"

"Mom," Kevin looked down at the plumber's badge securely nested in his hand, smiled at it, and placed it at the edge of her bed. "I didn't steal it. A magistar gave it to me, I swear. I've been helping people…"

His mom softly patted his hand and smiled up at him. "Kevin, I knew that already," Kevin seemed taken aback, but he didn't pull away. Just allowed his mother to continue. "You've changed…you're just like how your father was. But you don't need that badge to prove anything."

"Thanks, mom," Kevin said, giving her hand a squeeze and grabbing the badge back. "But all the same…I'm going to keep it."


	2. Are You Challenging Me?

**Author's Note: **Originally, I was only going to post one drabble today, along with the one chapter update to Changing Times, but the drabbles are too much fun to write.

**Drabble No 2: No 74.: Are You Challenging Me?**

"I'm just saying," Ben took a quick sip of his smoothie, "That for a guy that acts as brave as you do, you can't do something this simple. It's just…kind of funny."

"Let it go, Tennyson," Kevin said, glancing out the window. "It's not really any of your business, is it?"

"Well, technically, it is. See, Gwen's still kind of related to me. You know, whole cousin thing. And you're my friend," Kevin turned back from the window, waiting for Ben to finish, "So, because you're both close to me, that means that it is my business. Especially because you're taking forever to do something so simple."

"Uh-huh, and you would have asked Julie out if Gwen hadn't pushed you?" Kevin asked knowingly.

Ben smirked. "Yeah, well, no, but obviously now _you_ need a push. So, when are you going to ask Gwen out?"

"I'll do it on my own time. When I'm ready."

"Well, make it soon," Ben said, getting up and grabbing his smoothie. "She won't wait around for you forever. I know this is hard for you, but if you don't tell her how you feel, she'll find someone else."

"You think I don't know that?" Kevin slammed his hands down on the table and rose up, staring down at Ben. Ben didn't seem the least bit bothered by it.

"Well, if you do know it, you're still not responding to it. You almost lost her to Morningstar…you got lucky it turned out he was a jerk. Next time you might not be so lucky. I'll see you around, Kev." Ben threw the now empty smoothie cup into the trash can and walked out.

Kevin sunk back into the booth, a hand to his head. Ben had won that challenge. Sighing, he pulled out his phone.

"Hey, Gwen? Could you meet up with me for a bit tonight? It's kind of important."

**Author's Note: **Hopefully, this makes sense to everyone as "Are You Challenging Me?". I was originally going to have Gwen challenging Kevin, but we've seen that before.


	3. 67

**Author's Note: **Writing this on my parents' computer, so no access to my list, so no idea what number theme this is, but I remember it being *on* the list.

**For Kisdota-The Freak Gamer**: Thank you for reviewing both this and Changing Times. I'm glad to see you like my writing, and, as promised, here's a little Ben/Julie for you.

**Theme 3: 67%**

**Pairing: Ben/Julie**

**

* * *

**

"I still don't believe this," Ben groaned, throwing the paper onto his coffee table. "My parents are going to ground me for sure."

"It's not _that_ bad, is it?" Julie asked, reaching for the paper. "Ow...67%? That's really close to passing, Ben. I'm sure your parents will understand a measly three percent away from a passing grade."

"Or, they could take hero time away from me permanently," Ben slapped his hand to his forehead. "Or worse."

"Worse than the universe not being saved?"

"Yeah," He grabbed her hand, completely serious now. "They could ground me from you."

Julie smiled and pulled Ben into a hug. "Don't worry. We'll see each other at school no matter what, and maybe I can come over and tutor you again. That way you get to see me, _and _your grades go up. It's a win-win."

"Yeah, I guess so," Ben conceded, smiling. "Thanks. You know, I'd miss you a lot if I couldn't see you. Just at school isn't enough."

"I know, Ben," Julie squeezed him tighter, then released him completely. "Now go grab your books. We've got a lot of studying to do.

* * *


	4. Two Roads

**Author's Note: **Yes, I'm still going on with these themes. It's a pretty large load, but one thing I like about them is that they're drabbles, and as such, can be any length I want. I'm hoping to make most longer than the last three were, though. I may have to up the rating, because I'm thinking some might be more serious than the current rating warrants. We'll see.

**Theme 4: 44 Two Roads**

**Character: **Kevin

This was nothing new to him. He had come to a fork in the road once more, and he had to decide now. Otherwise, this time, it would be decided for him.

Kevin sighed, reclining his driver's seat as far as it would go. He was parked in front of Gwen's house, and had been for the past hour. He was just sitting there, thinking.

"_I'm glad you came to our side. You don't have any regrets, do you?"_

And that was where the problem started. He had paused, not really sure what to say. Gwen had sprung the comment on him out of nowhere, just as he was dropping her off from their latest adventure.

The issue was that he did miss some things about his convict lifestyle. Obviously, the null void was not one of them. But the adventure the lifestyle had offered had been amazing, sometimes even more thrilling then paling around with Ben and Gwen, defeating aliens.

He had been in control then. He was the leader of most of the operations, and when he wasn't, he usually double crossed the leader. No one back then acted surprised if he pulled a double cross (unless they had just met him, of course). Back then, he had been known, he had been feared, but mainly, he had people's respect.

He stared down at his hand, watching it in the moonlight. That hand had been behind so many schemes, but that wasn't what he was thinking about now. What he was thinking about was how deformed it had been at one point, when he'd had that horrible transformation that he couldn't change back for so long.

Was that his only reason for staying on the good side?

"_Kevin, you're not answering me. …Do you really miss it? You're not…you're not going to go back to them, right? Kevin, answer me!" _

Gwen's voice had been so desperate. She had seen the signs. She knew Kevin was getting restless, that he'd lately increased on trading. She didn't know he was trading weapons, but he'd bet anything that she suspected it.

Her eyes filled with tears as she pleaded for him to answer her. When he couldn't find a response, she'd run into her house.

But she'd forgotten her purse.

That was the kicker. If she hadn't left that purse there, Kevin could easily have driven off, back into his old life, telling himself he had no reason ever to get involved with the Tennyson cousins again.

All the time they had spent together made it impossible for him to just run off with her things. He still had some morals, whether or not she would be able to believe that.

And so his mind wandered, carefully trying to weigh the arguments. He'd been down this road before. It hadn't ended well. So why should it this time?

But then, now that he was acting on Ben's side, everyone seemed to expect him to start acting more like a hero. To play the good guy no matter what, and that just wasn't him. He was getting sick of people and aliens staring when they found out his past, wondering why Ben and Gwen trusted him so much.

Ben had been able to believe he'd go down the wrong path again. And no one knows you better than your best friend, right?

But Gwen had believed in him. She'd somehow known that Kevin had a good reason for the double cross. And she and Ben had saved him, figuring out that Kevin was acting for their sake.

He leaned his seat forward and stared at the purse. He could just leave it on the porch, ring the doorbell, and run for it. Drive until he got to California, New York…anywhere but Bellwood.

Or he could take it to Gwen, quit the deals, especially the weapons deals, before someone got hurt by it.

He sighed, and leaned forward, resting his hands on the steering wheel and then his head on his hands. That purse was mocking him. He scooped it up and threw it in the back seat to try to forget about it.

He slammed his fist on the dash board. No, he couldn't just leave it back there. Not making a decision would be the worst thing he could do. That would mean he kept up the double life still, and sooner or later, the two sides would meet up and tear each other to pieces, and he would be left with nothing.

Kevin leaned back and scooped the purse up, then looked in disbelief at what was on the floor of his car. Lying there was the handkerchief he'd used to wipe the sweat off when he'd fixed the Rust Bucket. He knew Gwen had tracked him with it back then, but the fact that she'd kept it….he put the purse back in the passenger's seat, carefully studying the handkerchief.

On the back, in Gwen's tidy print read "Don't ever forget – he came back."

"Aww, man, Gwen," Kevin tucked the hanky back into her purse, and clutched the bag under his arm. "It's not fair to do that to a guy." He got out of the car, stretching out. He didn't know how long he'd been in there, but his body told him that it had been far too long.

Ignoring his muscles cries against it, he briskly walked to the nearest tree and swung himself up, branch by branch. He landed as gently as he could on the roof. He was about to go knock on Gwen's window when he heard the crying. Looking around, he spotted the bright red hair on the other side of the roof.

"Hi," He said, holding her purse behind him.

Gwen whirled around, looking confused. The tears were still in her eyes when she looked at Kevin, but she still managed to glare at him. Kevin's heart gave a jump. How long had he made her cry for?

"What do you want?" She demanded, turning away from him as though his answer didn't matter.

"To tell you something," Kevin made his way towards her, sitting as close as he dared when she was in this bad a mood.

"And what's that?"

Kevin threw the purse at her. She caught it, and held it close, looking bewildered. "I came to tell you…I made my choice."

"And?"

"And," Kevin said, leaning towards her, cupping her chin in his hand, "I decided that I'm done with the trades. Completely."

Gwen hugged him. "So, you're staying with us?" she whispered in his ear. Kevin hugged her back, relieved that her anger had been rather easily abated.

"Yeah. Looks like you and Ben are stuck with me."


	5. Keeping a Secret

**Author's Note: **I am awake at nearly two in the morning, in case my sister needs me to open the gate and unlock the door for her, because there is nothing I hate more than waking up in the middle of the night. It's just easier to stay up. But I was running out of things to do, so a new drabble seemed like a good idea. There is a chance I'll be taking on a 3rd Alien Force fanfic, but it's an alternate universe and very complex, at least I believe it to be. We'll have to see. Maybe I'll write it after I finish Lessons In Maturity.

**53: Keeping A Secret**

"Okay, fine. I like her. Happy?" Kevin practically whispered the words. There was an edge to his voice, somehow admitting his feelings still carried a razor sharp edge. The way he said it was a warning. No teasing.

Ben, for his part, was kind of touched. True, the two had become increasingly close over the past few months, but this was the first time Kevin had allowed true insight to Ben. There was a temptation to tease him, of course, but Kevin looked so worried that Ben decided to give him a break.

"Yeah, happy," Ben agreed. "So…"

"If the next words out of your mouth are 'when are you going to ask her out', or any rephrasing of that, you're walking home," Kevin threatened.

Ben quickly changed tactics. That _was _what he had been about to say, but they were four miles out of Bellwood and he'd used up all of his alien time for the night. "I wasn't about to say that," he lied, turning his face away. Hopefully, Kevin wouldn't be able to see his left eye twitching. That nervous tick would be the death of him. "I was just…uh, wondering. Why don't you tell her how you feel?"

Kevin shook his head. "She already knows. That's what's so stupid about it…she knows I like her, but I don't think she realizes how much. She thinks I'm only capable of some stupid little crush, but…."

"It's more than that," Ben finished for him. Honestly, he was amazed. Kevin was usually so tough, so guarded. Ben hadn't even realized that Kevin knew Gwen liked her. Much less that maybe one of his reasons for not going with her were that he felt her feelings weren't quite the same.

"Exactly. She thinks it's just flirting. She probably thinks we'll go out on a few dates, be together a bit and then it's over, just like most high school relationships."

"What makes you say that?" Ben asked.

"Please. Girls around our age watch too many after school shows. And those shows always have the girls go through a ton of guys…it's only in cartoons where they like the same person from beginning to end."

"…how do you know so much about those kind of shows?" Ben asked, amused by the sudden image of Kevin watching some teenage soap opera.

"Common knowledge. You see one or two episodes of a couple of those shows, you can piece it together."

"Well, I didn't know anything about them," Ben admitted. "Anyways, Kevin, this isn't some tv show. It might be cool if it was…you know, like those old super hero cartoons you watched when you were little on Friday nights and Saturday mornings?...But this is real life, Kevin. Still…what would be so bad about dating her for as long as you could, even if it wasn't permanent?"

"You don't get it, Tennyson," Kevin sighed. "You've got Julie, and she knows all about you and accepts you. But your weirdness…well, the alien weirdness, anyways…can be taken away. At some point, you'll probably be able to take the omnitrix off, and even if you can't, it's still a symbol of the fact that you were a hero."

"Okay..I'm not sure where you're going with this, Kevin."

"Well, Gwen is the only one who knows all about what I used to be…at least, the only girl. I'm still amazed that she seemed to accept me so quickly, after what all I'd done to you, _tried _to do to you. What all I've done will never go away. And my powers won't either, and they're very hard not to use…" he trailed off, not able to find the exact words.

How could he explain that you honestly felt there was only one person in the world who would ever accept you? And that the idea that it might not work out between you was enough to scare someone as fierce as Kevin away from ever even giving it a shot.

"Just make sure you're not obsessing because you think she's you're _only _shot," Ben said, giving Kevin a pat on the shoulder. "She deserves to have you only try to be with her if you love her."

"Yeah…I know," Kevin agreed. "Umm..Tennyson?"

"Yeah?"

"You tell anyone, especially Gwen, that I told you all this stuff…and I'm going to have to start trying to kill you again."

"Of course, Kev," Ben smiled, not worried in the least. Kevin's secret was safe with him. He would never tell Gwen how Kevin felt. She already knew….at least, she knew that he liked her.

Ben looked out the window, wondering if Gwen had any idea Kevin was capable of an emotion as complex as love. Or that the thought of losing her was why he never even tried. Ben shook his head. He was glad his own relationship was not this complicated. He thought for a moment of telling Julie what Kevin had said, and then thought better of it.

No, not this time. This time it was just between friends. A sort of pact. For once, Kevin had really trusted Ben with something he felt was important, and Ben wasn't going to screw that up.


	6. Food

**Author's Note: **I keep telling myself I will pace myself and not write tonight…then I get all these nice reviews and story and author alerts in my inbox, and I can't resist. Please note it is one in the morning where I am, and I get a little goofy at this time. As such, this is mainly a comedy piece, done to get both humor and a bit of Julie/Ben in here, especially after so many chapters of angsty Kevin.

**Theme 87: Food**

"…how many baskets of chili fries have you had today, Ben?" Julie asked, looking more than a bit concerned for her steady boyfriend.

"umm…three. But one of them doesn't count," he added, munching down on his very last fry.

"Oh really?" Julie raised an eyebrow. "And why exactly does one basket of chili fries not count if the other two do?"

"Had soccer practice today, then chased down a hive of DNAliens, so the way I figure it, I worked all those calories off already," he explained. "And the smoothies have some nutritional value to them, so this is almost a completely balanced meal."

"Yeah…one that'll lead to heart failure," Julie rolled her eyes, setting the book she had been studying from down. She took her boyfriend's hand in hers, forcing him to look at her. "Look, Ben, I care about you. A lot. And maybe the fries…well...chili fries don't really like humans all that much, regardless of how we feel about them."

"…Are you saying the chili fries are trying to break up with me?"

Julie laughed in spite of herself. Only Ben could say those words with such a serious look on his face. She shook her head, the corner of her mouth twitching even as she recovered from the serious fit of giggles.

"I'm saying maybe you should break up with them," Julie decided to just roll with the analogy. Sometimes it was best to explain things in unusual ways to Ben. Alien fighting seemed to have warped his mind to the point where he was _looking _for an unnatural explanation to the most simple of situations.

"Why is that? Are the chili fries cheating on me?" Ben was clearly getting a kick out of Julie going along with his 'chili fries break up' idea. Further proof that he'd ended up with a girl who was almost too perfectly matched to him.

"No, they're not cheating, per se," Julie could not believe she was still going on with this. "But chili fries get to enjoy a vast variety of people eating them. Look over there, in that booth," she nodded with her head towards the corner. Ben snuck a quick glance. Cash and J.T. were sitting there, both with plates of chili fries in front of them. "Chili fries don't want to be tied down yet, Ben. They're not ready for that…uh..commitment. So why should you be tied down to only one type of food?"

Both teens were carefully trying to hold back their fits of giggles at this point. Ben feared laughing too soon, only because he wanted to know where exactly Julie would go with it. Julie, for her part, wanted to keep going because she _had _a point, and at least the humor was getting Ben to truly pay attention.

"But chili fries can change, right?" Ben asked innocently, imitating some high school girls he'd known.

"No, Ben. Chili fries will never change," Julie made her face as serious as she could manage. "It will always be just fries and chili…maybe cheese on occasion, but that's the furthest chili fries will ever change for you. And whose to say that change is for you? It could be for Cash or J.T….or even for me."

"Wait…so, chili fries are cheating on me with my own girlfriend?" Ben blinked hard, then pretended to be hurt. "Chili fries…how could you do this to me?! I thought we had something special!"

Unable to hold back anymore, Julie broke down into an enormous fit of laughter, falling over into her side of the booth, disappearing for Ben's sight for a moment. He could hear her laughing, so he didn't worry.

She waited until she was completely under control again before coming back up, taking deep breaths, making sure she had it all out of her system.

"Okay, time for us to be serious," Ben offered. "I'll listen and stop making jokes, so long as you promise never to cheat on me with chili fries."

"Deal," Julie smiled, and they shook hands. She didn't release his hand when they were done, and Ben offered no resistance to the act. "My point is, chili fries are really bad for you. I know you love them, but can you ease up on them for a while? Maybe try some fruits and veggies – and no, the ones from the smoothies don't count."

Ben was quiet, contemplating. "Can I still drink smoothies, though?"

"Ben, if I took those away, I think you'd have a melt down."

"All right," Ben nodded. "I'll do it. No chili fries for the rest of the week, and only one basket per week after that. Deal?"

Julie gave his hand a squeeze. "Deal."

**Author's note: **I am _**bewildered**_ about how I ended up doing this story that way. I was in a comedic mood, so I suppose it all spilled out in a very strange way. It was going to be incredibly short, just with Julie asking Ben to stop eating so many chili fries, but somehow I ended up writing it this way, and maybe it's just because it's still early in the morning, but dang if this isn't now my personal favorite of anything I've ever written.


	7. Childhood

**Author's Note: **Again, I head back towards writing more Kevin things. Sorry…the guy is just very easily my favorite character (not to say I don't love Ben, Gwen, Julie, Grandpa Max, and Ship…Kevin's just my favorite). As such, because I write about him probably too much, I will never write two drabbles in a row **only** centered around him (the next one is going to be very long, and involve him, and four Tennysons…none of them Ben or Gwen. That's right, he's going on an adventure with…Gwen and Ben's parents! Because I said so)

**Theme 48: Childhood**

"…_tell me again?" The young boy begged, his dark eyes wide, staring into his mother's hazel eyes. She smiled._

"_You've heard all those stories a thousand times. Why don't I read you a real fairy tale tonight?"_

_The boy pouted. "It's not the same. Those aren't real. And they don't have dad in them. I want to hear more about the Plumbers. Those are real, right? Aliens really do exist?"_

"_Yes, they exist," His mother agreed, patting him on the head. "Now…which story do you want to hear? The time he saved his commanding officer?"_

"_No, not that one," the boy shook his head, his unkempt black hair swaying back and forth. He looked pensive, seriously considering this. "I want to hear about the time he rescued the girl."_

"_Oh? Your father saved a lot of girls, silly. You're going to have to be more specific."_

"_I want to hear about the time he saved you!" the boy bounced in his bed. This was, by far, his favorite story. It showed his father in a perfect light – the handsome, brave Plumber hero, and his mother always got so sentimental during the story's telling. She would go on and on about how handsome his father was, so that he was so clearly able to see his father in his mind's eye. The story made him feel like he knew his father, even though he'd been gone for years. His mother would never say where he'd gone. Just that he was gone. _

"_All right," the boy's mother agreed. "Once upon a time –"_

Kevin awoke with a start. It had been a very long time since he'd dreamt about his mother. He sighed and got up, making his way to the fridge for a midnight snack. He grabbed a glass of milk and sat down in the tiny living room of the apartment he was renting.

He downed the milk in one gulp and wiped his mouth with his hand. Sadly, he reflected on the dream. It had ended far too soon. It had been such a long time since he heard that story, and he found himself longing to hear it again.

He sighed, and laid back down. Perhaps if he went back to sleep now, he'd be able to catch the rest of the story. Figuring it was worth a shot, he closed his eyes, curled up, and let himself drift back to sleep.

**Author's Note: **I know, I know, it is very short. Trust me, the "Teamwork" one coming next will not be. I actually contemplated making it into its own fanfiction, then decided against it.


	8. Teamwork

**Author's Note: **I'm taking a small break from Lessons in Maturity. It will continue again by next week at the latest. I will still be trying to update this story every night like previous, though.

**Theme 41: Team work**

By no stretch of the imagination did Kevin know what made him do it. He was desperate. Ben and Gwen were captured, and he needed help. That was what he forced himself to focus on when he rang the doorbell.

He held his breath, waiting for someone to answer. Someone had to be home. …Right?

The door swung open, and Frank and Natalie Tennyson both stared at the teenaged boy, Natalie wearing a look of pure confusion, Frank seeming more than a little irritated that Kevin was there.

"Umm..Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Tennyson," Kevin rushed the greeting, hoping that they could help. "Uh…wait. I thought I drove to Ben's house…" he thought aloud. "Are the other Mr. and Mrs. Tennyson home?"

"Well, yes, of course," Frank stood back to allow Kevin entry, but Kevin noted the deep frown on Gwen's father's face. "Hey, Carl, Sandra!" he called. "Uh..Curtis-"

"Kevin," Kevin corrected.

"Oh, right. Kevin's here to see you," Frank finished. Sandra and Carl both came out of the kitchen, Carl's hands filled with sodas, and Sandra caring a large bowl of popcorn. "Kevin, didn't Gwen and Ben go out with you tonight? Where are they?"

"That's sort of why I'm here," Kevin admitted, staring determinedly at the carpet. He had not had much interaction with either set of Tennyson parents, and never at the same time before.

"Is Gwen in trouble?" Natalie asked, leaning forward. The pleading sound in her voice forced Kevin to meet her eyes. He held back a groan, and just nodded.

"Her and Ben. I didn't want to leave them there, but I had to go get help," Kevin said meekly, glancing at the Plumber weapon Carl had mounted above the fire place.

Frank and Carl exchanged glances. Their worry over their kids was great, but they still weren't sure whether they could trust the raven-haired boy standing so awkwardly in front of them. Ben and Gwen had both confided in their parents about Kevin's past. So far, he'd been nothing but helpful to the cousins, but Frank and Carl, Frank especially, had their suspicions about his motivation.

"So, how do we break our babies out of there?" Sandra asked, setting the popcorn down on the table.

"Sandra, you can't be serious. Frank and I will go, you and Natalie stay here," Carl suggested. Sandra Tennyson was having none of that.

"Carl Tennyson, don't you dare. Women are just as capable," She crossed her arms at her husband. "Besides, unlike our kids, we don't really have any super powers or magic or whatever the heck they use. Which means if we don't work together, we might not be able to save them." She turned her attention back to Kevin. "Kevin, how fast can you get us to them?"

"If we take my car, about ten minutes….less if you guys don't mind holding on pretty tight," Kevin pulled his keys out of his pocket, headed for the door.

"Hold on a minute!" Carl said, "First off – we need to grab some of dad's old weapons. And secondly, maybe I should drive."

"No offense, but I think my car's faster," Kevin said, not too eager to have to sit in the backseat. "Plus it's teched out. I made some modifications – anyone trying to monitor my position while I'm in the car won't be able to get a lock."

"But I –" Carl protested.

Natalie put an end to it. "Carl, just let the kid drive us. He knows where he's going. Go get your father's weapons. Sandra and I will go get in the car. Frank, give your brother a hand. Kevin, let's get going."

Kevin nodded, a little put off by Natalie's air of command. It reminded him a bit of Gwen. He felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. Every second wasted here was another second Gwen and Ben were still in captivity. And Ben had run out of alien power twenty minutes ago. Hopefully the DNAliens hadn't moved them from that hive to another, or they'd be in even bigger trouble.

He followed after Natalie and Sandra, allowing Natalie to take the front seat of the car. Frank and Carl joined moments later, both loaded down with Plumber technology.

"Whoa," In spite of the situation, Kevin was impressed. "Guess Max didn't hide them that well from you. You'd think he'd hide level 3 and 4 tech much better than that," He observed, starting the car.

"You can explain what that means later," Frank said, buckling himself in. "For right now, we need to find my little girl."

"Yes, sir," Kevin agreed.

* * *

"Ben, are you all right?" Gwen whispered. She couldn't see – the DNAliens had learned their lessons from before and covered her eyes as well as bound her hands and feet – but she could still hear rhythmic breathing from across the cell, coupled with random shuffling movements.

"Yeah, I'm fine. They tied my hands up and I'm just trying to figure out how to get out of them," Ben explained. "Any idea what happened to Kevin?"

"Hold on, I'll try to see if I can figure it out," Gwen said, closing her eyes and concentrating. "I see him…he went to get help…"

"What kind of help?" Ben asked. "Other Plumber's kids?"

"No…I can't get a good look at them. Just Kevin. He's on his way here," Gwen thought for a moment. "I hoped he grabbed some really good reinforcements, or we're going to be in really big trouble."

"Yeah, I know," Ben agreed. "But at least he's coming back to try to rescue us. I hope he gets it done by ten tonight…my parents are going to kill me if I break curfew. That'd be the 3rd time this week!"

Gwen frowned. "I really think there are more pressing matters to be concerned with," she hissed. "Like figuring a way out of the cell?"

"All right, all right," Ben agreed, "But it seems pretty bad. I can't even reach my wrist, so even if I wasn't out of alien time, I wouldn't be able to turn into anyone. You're completely bound…we may have to just wait for rescue."

"Don't give up just yet," Gwen said hopefully. "Keep trying to find a way out."

* * *

"…it's _freezing_!" Frank complained, wiping the fog off of his glasses. "Do these aliens have to have it this cold?"

"Uh…yeah, actually," Kevin admitted. "It's always this cold when we make it to a DNAliens hive."

"…I hope Ben's been wearing his jacket when he goes on these adventures," Sandra said, shaking her head. "I'd hate for him to come home beaten up _and _with pneumonia."

Kevin fought back the laughter, making a mental note to tease Ben about it later. They had to rescue him before he could crack jokes at him, after all.

"Get down," Kevin hissed, forcing all four parents down to the ground. At their questioning looks, he pointed towards the compound – a patrol of about ten DNAliens were walking around, all carrying guns. Kevin held a finger to his lips, and motioned for them to stay where they were.

He disappeared from their sight for a few minutes, then came back, having absorbed metal from his car. The adults were all familiar with the boy's ability, but it still came as a bit of a shock. Again, he motioned for them to stay where they were. He made a bee line for the nearest DNAliens, grabbing it from the back as quietly as possible. The other DNAliens didn't notice. He tossed the alien several feet away, causing a loud crash.

The other aliens ran off to investigate the noise, and Kevin motioned for the adults to follow him.

"Well, let's get going," Carl told the others. They all rose and ran after Kevin, following his lead. He ducked behind a nearby building – they followed suit.

"I'm not sure where they're keeping them," Kevin admitted.

"Well, you must have freed prisoners before," Sandra reasoned, "How did you find them all the other times?"

"Gwen. She can track people….she can…" Kevin snapped his fingers. "Aww, man, Ben'll never let me live this down. I should have thought of it sooner."

Frank stared at Kevin as though he had some distasteful disease. "…I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?"

"One time some Plumber's kids sent an SOS to Gwen even though they were in the null void, and she got the message and kind of communicated with them. So, I'm thinking, maybe Gwen will pick it up if we think about her hard enough and she can tell us where she is. Ben's bound to be with her," Kevin explained.

Frank frowned, a little concerned about exactly what kind of thoughts Kevin would be having about _his _daughter, but he reasoned with himself that Kevin had been all right so far. He was honestly just trying to help.

"Maybe somebody with anodite blood would be better?" Kevin suggested, looking between Carl and Frank. "I mean, both of you are half…maybe that'll make you a bit stronger with the whole telepathy thing?"

Carl and Frank exchanged looks. "Well, it's worth a shot. Here, hold the gun, Sandra," Carl handed his wife his gun, and closed his eyes. "Umm…testing, one two three…testing. Gwen? Come in Gwen…it's Uncle Carl…."

"Is that how it's done?" Natalie asked. Kevin shrugged.

"I don't know. Helen just talked like it was a regular communications portal…but," Kevin was struck with an idea. "Maybe it was because of how strongly she needed help. She sounded really desperate."

"Uh…I think you guys might be being a bit too loud," Sandra said suddenly, raising her gun.

"Oh? Why's that?" Frank asked. To answer, Sandra pointed at a large group of DNAliens headed straight for them.

"Okay, uh…Mr. and …Mr. Tennyson, you guys keep trying to contact Gwen. Mrs. Tennyson and Mrs. Tennyson, well…uh…do you know how to shoot those things?" He eyed the guns warily, more than aware of what they could do if the two women happened to miss and hit Kevin by mistake. Both women nodded, and Kevin decided not to second guess them. He grabbed the edge of Natalie's gun, absorbing the metal there, and took off towards the nearest DNAliens, grappling it to the ground.

"Uh…sweetie? Come in, Pumpkin," Frank had his eyes closed tight, not focused on the fighting. He was worried about his wife, his sister-in-law, and even Kevin, but he was more worried about not finding his daughter or nephew. "Look, it's daddy," He was glad that only Carl could hear him. His voice sounded desperate. "Gwendolyn, it's daddy…I'm trying to find you. _We're _trying to find you. You and Ben. But you have to tell us where you are, or we can't do anything for you…please hurry. Your little friend Kevin's fighting pretty hard to save you both…"

"Frank, something wrong?" Carl asked, as his brother suddenly dropped to his knees.

"I know where she is!" Frank cried triumphantly. "She showed me a picture of it…in my mind. It was amazing! I know where our baby is!" Frank called across to his wife.

"That's great, honey!" she called back, firing a shot off at a DNAliens who was trying to sneak up behind Kevin. Bull's eye. The alien dropped back, clutching desperately at where it had been shot.

Kevin roundhouse kicked the last alien, sending him flying into a heap with the other defeated aliens.

"You know where Gwe—I mean where they both are?" Kevin corrected himself, but all the adults caught onto his mistake. Deciding now was not the time, Frank just nodded.

"Yeah, we know where they are. Follow me!" he instructed. He checked in front of him – no aliens to be seen. Perfect, because Gwen and Ben had been incredibly close that whole time. In the little shack just up ahead. "They're in there. Now, how do we get –"

Before he could ask how to get in, Kevin had kicked the door down. All four Tennysons stared at him. "What?" he asked, irate. "It gets us to your kids faster. Did you have a better way?"

"Kevin? Is that you?" Ben's voice came from the darkness.

"Bennie!" Sandra cried, running inside. The others followed her. She threw her arms around her son, kissing him on top of his head over and over.

"Mom! You're embarrassing me," Ben pouted. "And I'd kind of like out of the handcuffs. They're not as comfortable as they look."

Kevin broke Gwen out of her shackles first and removed her blindfold. She hugged him. "I knew you'd come back for us!"

"Hey, was there ever any doubt?" Kevin asked, hugging back.

"Ah-hem," Frank cleared his throat. Kevin immediately released Gwen, and looked down at the floor.

"I uh…I'm just ..I'm gonna go break Ben's shackles for him," Kevin mumbled, edging away from Frank as quickly as possible.

Gwen blushed, and bit her lip. "Uh..hi, daddy. I got your message. I guess this means you got mine."

"Yes…now. I thought you said that boy wasn't your boyfriend?" Frank asked, crossing his arms.

"He isn't!" Gwen protested.

Frank smiled. "Well, why the heck not? He seems nice enough. A good boy who's willing to risk his life for you…he's got my approval," Frank hugged his daughter, who beamed at him.

"Well, if he ever asks me, I'll tell him you have his approval."

"Oh, he'll ask all right," Frank said to himself more than to Gwen. "It may take a while, but he'll ask you. Who wouldn't want a winner like my Gwendolyn?"

"We'll see, daddy," Gwen answered, watching Kevin break Ben down and Ben giving Kevin a pat on the back as a thank you.

"All right. That was an adventure," Sandra said cheerfully, her arms around both Ben and a very confused looking Kevin. "What do you say we go out to Mr. Smoothie's as a way to relax?"

"Yes! Smoothie time!" Ben cheered.

"And you're coming as well, right, Kevin?" Natalie asked the boy softly.

"Uh…sure," he agreed, feeling a bit pressured into it. "But first we kind of have to fight our way back to my car…and figure out how to fit everyone _in _the car…I guess we could tie Ben to the roof…"

Ben rolled his eyes, and glanced back down at the omnitrix. "Nope, looks like I've recharged. I'll go as Big Chill and carry Gwen. Which looks like you're riding with the adults to Mr. Smoothie's."

Kevin smiled. "You know, your parents really aren't that bad, Tennyson. They're actually…kind of cool."

**Author's Note: **This is easily my longest drabble, and I really like how it turned out. I feel that Ben, Gwen, and Kevin make such an excellent team that a teamwork story dedicated to them would just be restating fact or something.


	9. Tears

**Author's Note: **I am so so so sorry! I promise to go easy on the Kevin angst, and this chapter is **severe **Kevin angsting, but so many other authors have done Kevin 11,000, still evil, that I kind of wanted to try my hand at it. Again, I apologize, and ask that everyone who reviews include in their review what character you'd like the next drabble to be about (And no voting for Kevin. There'll be a lot more of him on the way.) Whoever gets the most votes gets the next drabble. If it's a tie, I'll write one for each winner.

**Theme 26: Tears**

Kevin tapped in his long fingers against the cold metal of the top of the bar, keeping in rhythm with the song playing softly in the back ground. His eyes had narrowed into cold, hard slits as he watched the television.

The bartender pretended not to notice the man, only talking to him long enough to get his order. A beer. Keep them coming, Kevin had told him. The bartender did as he was asked, glad the other man didn't seem interested in talking.

The rest of his patronage knew Kevin just as well as he did. Kevin's reputation preceded him, especially in a seedy hovel like this. He'd once been a great hero, fighting alongside the Plumbers. Even more impressive, fighting alongside Ben Tennyson, and more interesting, he'd once been affianced to Ben's cousin, Gwen.

No one but Kevin himself could say what had happened. Why he'd run off like he had, away from a hero's life, back into seedy places like this. At twenty-five years of age, it seemed too soon for a mid life crisis, too late to just be teenage rebellion.

"Turn it up," Kevin growled at the bar keeper. The elderly gentleman did as he was bid, not wanting to cross Kevin. The volume went up on the television. The volume of the crowds suddenly died down, everyone curious as to what had Kevin 11,000 so interested.

"Our top story tonight – Is Gwen Tennyson, one of the world's most achieved Plumbers and cousin to the famous Ben Tennyson, really engaged again?" The reported trilled on tv, her plastic smile seeming to drill into Kevin. He glared back at the television set, holding his breath.

The reporter's face was soon covered by video footage of Gwen. Kevin sucked in a deep breath. There she was, as beautiful as ever. And there, annoyingly enough, was Cooper. Kevin gulped down his beer and motioned for another one, never taking his eyes off the screen.

Cooper's arm was wrapped around Gwen's waist, and they both looked so…happy. There wasn't a ring in sight, but the reporter claimed that it was only a matter of time, and that they had it from a trustworthy source that the two Plumbers were trying to keep their engagement a secret.

"Let's hope," The reporter's face became serious now, "That Gwendolyn Tennyson has finally found true happiness. It's well known her last fiancé ran off just weeks before their scheduled wedding and is now known as the infamous Kevin 11,000, the foil to her cousin, Ben 10,000. Gwen, we all wish you great happiness. You deserve it for helping to keep the world save. I'm Rita Ortega, and that was tonight's news."

Kevin closed his eyes for a moment. In that moment, half of the bar cleared out, knowing what was coming. Kevin roared his anger and frustration, throwing his glass at the tv set. The tv broke, and the glass along with it. Kevin rose to his feet, tearing things off the walls, throwing whatever he could find. The few people who had remained desperately struggled to get out of his way, not wanting to be the next thing thrown.

Several minutes passed by with him unleashing his fury on any object that would sit still long enough, his fists leaving indentations on the bathroom wall and on countertops. Finally, he calmed down and dropped down to his knees, his chest heaving as he took enormous breathes of air, gulping it down hungrily. He was still so angry…he was so mad…he was…alone.

He looked around cautiously. No one was there. He'd scared everyone else out of the bar, and he was glad of it.

Because he couldn't hold it back any longer. He covered his face in his hands, allowing the tears to flow. He'd lost her. He'd kept telling himself that some day, when he had enough money to give Gwen everything she could ever ask for, give her a better life…that was when he'd planned to go back to her. To beg her forgiveness, and hope that she would give it to him.

The illusion was shattered now. He'd been lying to himself from the start. He'd never really gone back into this business for her. It'd all been for himself, had always been for himself. He wiped away the tears, wishing they would stop. He felt weak and pathetic, and alone.

He felt like he was eleven years old again.

Kevin had no way of knowing if the rumors of engagement were true, and he wasn't too keen on finding out. If they were, what would he do? What could he do? He was a criminal again, and Gwen was a high level officer in the intergalactic police.

But he had to know….

**Author's note: **We're leaving off there because this one will have supplemental drabbles. You'll find out if Cooper and Gwen really are engaged, and if so, what Kevin's going to do about it. Poor Kevin…he gets abused so much by authors…everyone give Kevin a hug! And remember, please vote for the next character I use, so you don't have to sit through too much Kevin angst.


	10. Annoyance

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the wait. Well, only 2 people voted, so Gwen and Ben technically tied. As such, I'll try to give each their own drabble, but for right now, this one's going to be combined. The person who requested Ben specifically asked for it to be him when he's 10, so I figure this theme is perfect for that. This one is going to be very short...I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with the original Ben 10, and I'm worried about making everybody out of character.

**Time: Ben 10 era**

**Theme Number 69: Annoyance**

* * *

Gwen glared at her cousin over the top of her spell book. It was the first awknowledgement of his existance that she'd given today, and Ben took that for a sign of victory. It had only taken throwing about twenty spit-wads at the now irked red head, but at least Ben didn't feel bored anymore.

He smiled at her, making a big show of hiding the straw he was using as a blow dart behind his back, fully aware she could see it. Not that it would matter. Even if he had hid the straw better, the only other person on the beaten up RV was the pair's grandfather, and throwing spit wads was not the sort of thing Max Tennyson would ever do to his grand daughter.

Gwen huffed her frustration, lifting her book back directly in front of her eyes, as though not to be able to see her annoying cousin. Ben's grin broadened. Game on. He'd been so bored this past week - no need to turn into aliens at all, not for hero time or even just because he saw a good opportunity to use his incredible powers for fun. So, he'd fallen back into an old, but still fun, habit. Seeing how far he could push his cousin before she would cave.

Gwen, for her part, had shown a surprising amount of patience with his game. On some level, she understood. She let that part win, though the rest of her was screaming that she had all sorts of things she could use - magic, martial arts - and her cousin was practically begging to become her own private punching bag. Figuring that she could get him back later (and worried that Grandpa Max might punish both of them), she'd let the small indiscretions go unpunished, but it was starting to try her nerves.

"One more, Ben," she hissed, "And that'll be the end of it."

Ben rolled his eyes. He was winning, after all.

A moment later, something unseen grabbed his leg and pulled him under the table. "Gwen, stop using your stupid magic tricks on me!" Ben yelled, reaching to adjust the face on his omnitrix. This was, after all, why he'd picked the fight in the first place. Grandpa Max couldn't really complain about Ben going alien to fight his cousin if his cousin used magic on him first, right?

Gwen's only response was to mutter a few more words under her breath. Another invisible sort of energy grabbed his hand and forced it away from the omnitrix.

"Oh, c'mon, it has to at least be a fair fight! You're cheating," Ben insisted. Gwen ignored him, holding out one arm extended to control the spell she'd aimed at him, the other hand flipping pages in her spell book.

"Say uncle," Gwen teased, putting her book down and turning to face her cousin.

"What? No way!"

"Do it or I tell Grandpa Max about how many spit balls you threw at me before I fought back," she pointed back at her seat, where the spit balls had all collected on the floor. Ben frowned. She had proof, and Grandpa Max always seemed to know when Ben was lying.

"All right, all right," Ben conceded.

"Good," Gwen released him and went back to her spell book. Grumbling to himself, Ben climbed in the seat across from her, trying to figure out how to annoy her without getting in trouble for it.

_Click, click, click _Gwen winced with each click, finally glancing up at the third. Ben was opening and reopening the RV window.

"Could you knock that off, please?" Gwen hissed.

_Click_

"Ugh! You are such a doofus!" Gwen collected her spell book and marched off towards the front seat. Ben leaned back into his chair. It wasn't the outcome he'd been hoping for, but he was still pleased with the result. He kicked out his legs and reclined in his seat. Sure enough, when there were no alien butts to kick, picking on dorky girls - especially when they were your cousin - was definitely the way to go.


	11. Breaking the Rules

**Theme number: 50**

**Title: Breaking the Rules**

"This is, without a doubt, the worst idea you've ever had," Gwen grumbled, her arms crossed. She started out the window of the car, trying to appear angrier than she actually felt.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kevin smirk. He wasn't buying her act, not even for a second.

After all, the night had started out okay. Kevin had convinced her to sneak out and spend a few hours with him. It would have been simpler if they weren't so busy alien hunting these days, but as they were, the only time they could hang out was well after midnight. Well after Gwen's eleven O'clock curfew.

Initially, Kevin had tried to get her to skive off school, but _that _idea would not sit with her for even a moment. He couldn't crack her on that. She sighed. It had been almost too easy for him to get her to agree to this, though.

The night really had been off to a great start – they got smoothies, they drove around, they talked. Kevin had really seemed to be opening up to her, and Gwen couldn't have been more thrilled. She thought it was an opportunity to get him to realize how she felt about him, and, more importantly, how he felt about her.

The night would soon go downhill, however. He'd been watching her through his peripheral vision, mooning at her, as she liked to say. Unfortunately, that meant he was less focused on the road, and his reflexes were not quite enough when they went off the road. They'd hit a sign, and the engine was still smoking a bit from the damage.

"Well?" Gwen hissed. Kevin frowned at her.

"Well what?"

"Are you going to fix the car or not?" She demanded, unfolding her arms and facing him. "The longer we're out here, the longer my dad has to figure out that I'm gone."

"Relax, I'm sure your old man sleeps like a log," Kevin said with a half shrug. He unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out. "Besides, I can't do too much to fix it…I took my tools out last week to make more room for that alien tech we got from the forever knights."

"We? No, not we, you. And you didn't get it from them, you stole it from them."

Kevin shrugged again. "Eh, I'll use it for better purposes than they would have. And besides, if they don't have it, they can't use it against us."

Gwen folded her arms again, fuming. How could he always act like this? Like nothing bothered him. Like nothing really mattered. Her dad was going to kill her, and Kevin wasn't doing anything to get her home faster. With a final agitated grunt, she unbuckled and joined him in front of the hood of the car.

"Is there _anything _you can do without your tools?" Gwen asked, hopeful.

"Yeah, of course."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I can call us a tow truck. Cause this car ain't going anywhere. Not tonight, anyways." He frowned. "At least the paint job's fine…and I can fix the engine when I get it home. So no harm done, really."

"No harm done?" Gwen repeated, incredulously. "Kevin, you convinced me to sneak out of my house, it's now," she checked her watch, "four in the morning, and my dad wakes up at five for work. How is no harm done when I'm about to be grounded for a century?"

Kevin stared at her, then coughed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen," Gwen scoffed at him, "Really, I didn't. I just wanted to spend some time with you. You know…Ben free. Not that I don't like your cousin, but I just…I thought it would be….I wanted to spend time with you. Just you. Okay?"

Gwen felt all of her anger rush out of her. It was just impossible to stay mad when he'd just wanted to spend time with her. "I'm sorry I jumped at you. I'm just…frustrated. But it really makes me happy that you want to be with me."

Kevin jumped back as though he'd been shocked. "Be with you? I…I uh..I never said anything like that, Gwen," he fought furiously against making eye contact with her. "I just…I just…"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "It's a little late at night for you to be worried about denying it. Anyways, I'll just use my powers to head home. I'll see you tomorrow, Kevin."

Kevin nodded, his eyes fixated on the ground. As dark as it was, Gwen thought she could still make out a faint blush on his pale face.

Sure enough, when she arrived home an hour later, her father was waiting for her. "Grounded. One month," Was all he said. Gwen nodded, and made her way up the stairs to her room. All she could think was _It was worth it…_


	12. Hot and Cold

**Author's Note: **Looking through the list of themes, I decided to go in a different route. I may still do some, but for right now, I'm just going to write little one shots and drabbles based off what I want. This instance it's Katy Perry's Hot'n'Cold. You are more than welcome to suggest what you'd like me to write about (I will be taking any and all requests, even if it's for a pairing I don't usually write, for example, say Gwen/Ben. If you suggest something for them, I'll write it). The lyrics might be wrong here. I got them from a site, and changed them where I _knew _they were wrong, but they might still be wrong in other places.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Katy Perry's Hot'n'Cold. It is a wonderful song though.

_You change your mind like a girl changes clothes…_

For the life of her, Gwen did not know why Kevin had asked her out on a date, and then at the last minute invited Ben. Normally, she enjoyed spending time with the pair of boys, but the invitation had sounded like an actual date. Kevin had said it would just be the two of them, and then he'd turned around and invited Ben.

It wouldn't have been so bad if Ben had invited Julie. At least then Gwen could pretend that it was still intended as a date. But luck was not with her tonight. And Kevin and Ben were animatedly discussing a Sumo Slammers movie, so she couldn't even ask Kevin what the deal was.

Gwen sighed.

_And you PMS like a bitch, I would know. And you always think, always speak cryptically_

Ben had run off for popcorn, leaving Kevin and Gwen alone. "Kevin, what's up here? I thought this was…."

"It was going to be," he said softly. "I just…" he stopped. "Can we talk about it later?"

"Kevin, I think we should talk about his right now," Gwen insisted. "What is up with you."

"Dunno," He said simply. "Oh, looks like Ben's got the popcorn. I'm gonna go give him a hand with the drinks."

Gwen frowned. That hadn't offered the least bit of revelation to her. If anything, she was even more confused by Kevin right now.

_Cause you're hot and your cold, you're yes and you're no. You're in and you're out, you're up and you're down._

Kevin and Gwen's hands met in the popcorn container for a moment. Gwen glanced up, trying to catch some sort of hint from Kevin's eyes. He smiled at her, and looked away, grabbing a fistful of popcorn.

Gwen smiled to herself. That was certainly a hint that he liked her. So what was going on?

_You're wrong when it's right, it's black and it's white. We fight we break up, we kiss we make up. _

Deciding she may as well take the initiative, Gwen reached for Kevin's hand and gave it a squeeze. He looked at her in amazement, and squeezed back. But when Ben reached over for more popcorn, Kevin immediately released Gwen's hand.

Gwen held back a groan.

_You don't really want to stay, no_

Kevin gave a nervous glance back at Gwen.

_But you don't really want to go, oh _

He looked away again.

_We used to be just like twins, so in sync. The same energy's now a dead battery._

Gwen was not bothering to pay any attention to the movie now. Her eyes were focused on the floor as she thought everything through.

She knew Kevin liked her. Just like she knew she liked him. So why was he acting so jumpy lately? Why was he so scared to go any farther than flirting? Hadn't they almost kissed once?

_Used to laugh 'bout nothing, now you're plain boring. I should know that you're not gonna change. _

Now she was just frustrated. All those times Kevin had made it so apparent he wanted to be with her – trying to rescue her from Michael Morningstar, protecting her from a Highbreed, even trying to take her to the school dance…what had those meant to him, anyways?

"Will you stop sighing?" Ben leaned forward, watching his cousin. "You're going to miss the whole movie."

Gwen frowned at him, but bit her tongue to keep from responding. This wasn't Ben's fault, after all. She threw another uncertain glance at Kevin. His eyes were focused on the screen, but she couldn't help but notice that he didn't seem to be paying attention.

She made a mental note to corner him later and force the truth out of him. For right now, though, she figured she may as well try to enjoy the movie.


	13. Baby Blues, Part One

**Author's Note: **I started writing this shortly after I gave birth to my son, but decided not to make it a full length story. Depending on how popular this one is, it'll just be part of the 100 Themes Challenge collection, and if a lot of people like this chapter, I'll continue (I do have plans for it and know how to end it, but while it was great for comedy, I'm not sure how people will react to it) with more on it in a later theme. Next chapter will be fluff once I can decide 1. which pairing to do it with and 2. How to keep them in character for it (any suggestions will be helpful)

No matter how much they asked around, none of the Plumbers could get the answer. The child left on their new headquarters' doorstep was as much a mystery to any of the surrounding city's citizens as it was to the Plumbers themselves. One month ago, there had been a knock at the door, and that had started this whole thing. For when they opened the door, a baby boy, certainly no older than two weeks, was crying, a Plumber's badge placed on top of his blanket.

The note left with the baby merely said "The baby is called Jason. He's half alien, and I just can't handle him anymore. If his father is still alive, he'll come for him, I'm sure."

Kevin, for his part, was furious. "She just left him here…" he kept muttering over and over one day as he watched Gwen change the baby's diaper. "I can't believe that kind of stuff is still happening…some people shouldn't be allowed to be moms…"

Ben's reaction was to start a daily search, hoping to either find Jason's mother and get her to take her child back or to find the baby's father. Neither search was proving successful, as the only hint towards Jason's parentage was that when the baby laughed too hard, sometimes electricity would shoot through his body, making his hair stand on end.

Gwen had had the most impact on the child, her maternal instincts taking over almost the minute that Ben had brought the baby inside from the cold. She fed him, she changed him, and she was the only one who got up during the middle of the night to answer the infant's cries, sometimes staying awake for hours on end until he was once again comfortable enough to fall asleep.

"It's wearing her out," Helen pointed out to Kevin and Ben one day. "Manny, Pierce, Cooper and I can split up tasks…the new recruits can handle searching for Jason's parents while we go to catch criminals. You two should stay here and give Gwen a hand."

Kevin frowned. "I don't know anything about babies. Maybe you should stay," He suggested.

Helen glared. "What are you implying?"

"You know, you're female. Chick instincts and all that."

"Ooh…bad move," Ben's warning, of course, was far too late in coming. Helen looked about ready to hit Kevin, but instead she shook her head.

"No. You two are staying. You have to be at least a little worried about her. She's been falling asleep on patrol and running home in between raids and busts to check on Jason because Manny refuses to change diapers."

"Wasn't in the job description," Manny explained, appearing seemingly from nowhere, a steaming cup of coffee in one of his four hands. "And I'm not babysitting again. Do I _look _like a babysitter?"

"You don't want me to tell you what you look like," Kevin joked. Manny glared.

"All right," Ben interrupted, "I think Helen's right…sort of."

"Sort of?" Helen asked, crossing her arms.

"I think Gwen should probably take the day off…from Jason _and _Plumber business. You're right, she does look exhausted…" Ben's expression softened. "I'm worried about her."

Kevin nodded his agreement. "Yeah…but you're changing the diapers."

Ben rolled his eyes, but said nothing. His only action was to head towards his cousin's room. He knocked on the door and was greeted by his cousin's surprisingly messy form. She was usually so neat and polished, but it was ten, well past when she normally awoke, and she still hadn't changed out of her night clothes. Her hair was a tangled, frizzy mess of red, and she was clutching Jason closely in her arms.

"He's asleep…you should probably put him in his crib," Ben suggested. Gwen shook her head fiercely.

"Every time I put him in there he wakes up again," she said, not bothering to stifle the yawn that followed the explanation. "It took me four hours to get him to go to sleep, I am not going through that again. Where do I patrol today?"

Ben was all the more impressed with his cousin's attitude. Gwendolyn Tennyson was not the kind to take a break from her job, no matter how much she may have needed it. Ben shook his head. "You don't have patrol today."

"Yes, I do," Gwen insisted.

"You've got the day off," Ben explained. Gwen opened her mouth to protest, but Ben interrupted. "From _all _Plumber's business, and that includes Jason. Do whatever you want with the rest of the day, but you're going to take a break. You're trying to work yourself to death and it's got all of us worried about you."

"I could use a break," Gwen admitted. "But who's going to watch him?" She asked, nodding her head towards the sleeping infant.

"Kevin and I are going to do it."

"You," Gwen repeated, as though she didn't quite understand him. "You. And Kevin. Are going to watch and care for a baby."

"Yeah, that's the plan."

"Have you ever even changed a diaper before?" Gwen asked, the look in her eyes apprehensive. It wasn't necessarily that she didn't trust Kevin and Ben - after all, she risked her life with them on a nearly daily basis - it was that….well, the idea of either boy caring for a baby was somehow terrifying.

"No…but how hard can it be?" Ben asked, holding his arms out. Gwen sighed and relinquished the child to her cousin's outstretched hands. He cradled the baby in his arms. "There, no harm done. He didn't even wake up. Promise me you'll go out for a few hours and relax?"

"…I guess," Gwen said, heading back into her room. "I'm just going to get ready first."

An hour later Gwen was made up, her hair back to its normal style her clothing ironed and fresh as they had been before the baby had shown up in their lives. "Make sure you burp him after he eats, because if he gets gassy he won't sleep and he won't stop crying. Try the pacifier first if he acts like he's hungry and if he keeps spitting it out, _then _give him the bottle. Change him immediately and if his bottom looks red put more of his diaper rash cream on him…oh, and sometimes he wets all the way through his outfit, if that happens put him in a new onesie, don't just leave him in it."

"We'll be fine, just head out already," Kevin insisted. "It's not like we're going to use the baby as a Frisbee."

"That reminds me, don't throw him, shake him, toss him --"

"I was just joking!"

Gwen ignored Kevin's interruption, "And you can wipe the umbilical cord stump with alcohol on a cotton ball, but you don't have to. But make sure you keep it dry, okay?"

"Okay, just go already!" Kevin and Ben answered together. Gwen nodded.

"All right…call if there's any problems." With that, Gwen headed out.

"…what's an umbilical cord stump?" Kevin asked when he was confident Gwen was well beyond hearing range.

"Not sure," Ben admitted, looking down at Jason. "But this can't be too hard, right? Gwen'll only be gone for a few hours. This'll be a snap."

As fates would have it, Jason chose that exact moment to wake up and start crying.

"You just _had _to say that, didn't you, Tennyson?" Kevin grumbled. "What's wrong with him?"

"…I don't know," Ben admitted, lifting Jason into the air and examining him. Jason continued to cry. "Umm….are you hungry?" Of course, the baby gave no reply. "…do you think he's hungry?"

"How should I know?!"

"Okay, fair enough," Ben admitted. "…What did Gwen say about what to do before feeding him?"

"…something about not throwing him."

"…No, that was later. It was something about gas or diapering or…wait, how do you tell if they need a diaper change?"

"Smell it?" Kevin suggested.

Ben sniffed at the air, and was relieved that he could smell nothing out of the ordinary. No diaper change needed…at least, for now. "Okay, so he must be hungry. Where does Gwen keep his food?"

"Why don't you just give him milk or something?" Kevin suggested. Ben shook his head.

"Nah, she's got formula somewhere…." Ben tried to remember exactly where he had seen Gwen fixing the bottles, but the constant crying was becoming more distracting by the minute. Kevin threw his hands in the air and started to walk off. "Where are you going?"

"To find the kid some food before he drives me completely up the wall," Kevin answered, heading for the kitchen. Ben shifted awkwardly from one foot to another, trying to get the motions to soothe the crying child, but to no avail. In fact, the cries got much louder a moment later, thanks to a loud crash from the direction of the kitchen.

Going as fast as he dared while carrying a baby, Ben made his way to the kitchen, his eyes widening in amazement as he saw just how bad a wreck Kevin had managed to make the room in the span of only a few minutes. There were pots and pans thrown onto the floor, a box of macaroni was spilled over into the sink, and Kevin was still pulling food out of the pantry, cursing loudly as he went.

"Language," Ben chastised, "Remember, little ears listening here."

"Not like he understands it," Kevin brushed Ben off, "Or can hear it over his own crying…Damn it!" Ben covered Jason's ears, "Where the hell did Gwen put that formula?"

"You mean this?" Ben asked, holding up a canister that had been sitting on the counter the entire time. Kevin face palmed and nodded, holding out his hand. "You're going to fix it?"

"Well I sure ain't holding the kid," Kevin said, grabbing the formula container and turning until he saw the directions. He muttered to himself as he read, then finally turned to face Ben. "We've got another problem."

"What is it now?"

"…I have no idea where Gwen keeps the bottles."

**Author's Note: **And that's the end of this one for now. This and the Crying or Tears or whatever it was both have part 2s coming later. Like I said, next drabble will be fluff once I figure out what and how to do it.


End file.
